The function of the master channel volume control on Recto

[b0nkersx]

yeah I know what you mean, I noticed to, it seems that all the power of your tone comes form your hands, would I be right in saying that, the harder you hit the strings with your pick, the more defined/tight your attack coming from the speakers will be.

Yeah, the harder you hit, the more defined and tight your sound is, assuming the action on your strings isn't too low. Higher action on the low strings really helps chugs also.

So I was just wondering do all tube amp, need to be boosted in order to sound better?

No, but I find it's desirable a lot of the time regardless. Some amps don't like boosts at all.

Also believe it or not, I have watched, heard clips of people playing the Peavey 5150's on youtube, but have never played one before, so I was just wondering does the 5150 actually have more gain than the Recto does?

For sure it does, but it's extremely noisy and the gain knob isn't usable after a certain point either (just like on rectos). It still does have more, though. Most people I know turn the gain on a 5150 to 5-6 and boost it (OD808s are popular 5150 boosters too).

 

[bermuda_]

Oh I see what you mean.

But when it comes to the Recto, is it possible to get that metal gain saturated tone out of it, without having to use of an overdrive pedal, or is it only possible to achieve that type of tone by using one?

Also In order to get rid of sum of that unwanted mud that's present in the Recto where should I adjust my presence knob to on the amp?

 

[mikey383]

Typically, you're going to have to boost it for metal. Unboosted, it's good for a nice hard rock/nu metal tone, but I doubt you'll get a nice metal tone from it.

To get rid of the mud, lower your bass and raise your treble and presence. There was a post here a while back that was very useful. I don't remember the exact wording, but set all knobs to noon. Close your eyes and adjust the treble until you feel it's right. Then do the mids, followed by the bass, then gain, and lastly presence. All while having your eyes closed, so you don't feel the need to turn knobs because they don't look right.

If you're trying to EQ a Mesa with your eyes, you're doing it all wrong.

 

[b0nkersx]

Oh I see what you mean.

But when it comes to the Recto, is it possible to get that metal gain saturated tone out of it, without having to use of an overdrive pedal, or is it only possible to achieve that type of tone by using one?

Also In order to get rid of sum of that unwanted mud that's present in the Recto where should I adjust my presence knob to on the amp?

Turning the mids all the way up helps a lot (with the treble up pretty high, too). I really like the way it sounds, also.

 

[bermuda_]

All the way up you mean turn the mids all the up to 5' Oclock , also If I was to put the presence knob up to 1 O'clock would that be too high?

I have also heard from many people that using hotter pickups such as EMG's will help add even more gain to the amp is that true?

 

[b0nkersx]

All the way up you mean turn the mids all the up to 5' Oclock , also If I was to put the presence knob up to 1 O'clock would that be too high?

That's where I leave my mids. I love it that way. It sounds evil and it passes less of the signal to the bass portion (you can read about that in the manual). For the presence, just put it where you think it sounds best.

I have also heard from many people that using hotter pickups such as EMG's will help add even more gain to the amp is that true?

Hotter pickups will add gain. EMGs aren't super hot pickups, though.

 

[bermuda_]

I though it was a bit extreme at first to set your mids that high, because I know for a fact that if you were to set the gain that high on amp, it would sound like crap :lol:

But anyway what's the deal with the presence knob on the Recto, regardless of how high I crank it I found that It still doesn't add a lot of brightness to the tone, the tone of the amp still sounds muddy?

 

[mikey383]

I though it was a bit extreme at first to set your mids that high, because I know for a fact that if you were to set the gain that high on amp, it would sound like crap :lol:

But anyway what's the deal with the presence knob on the Recto, regardless of how high I crank it I found that It still doesn't add a lot of brightness to the tone, the tone of the amp still sounds muddy?

The presence knob should bring in a ton of brightness. Especially on the red channel. It does on my 2 channel anyway, and from what I remember of the 3 channel I had. :?:

 

[bermuda_]

How high would you recommend I should set the presence knob to, because I have it set on 12 o'clock and it still isn't bright enough?

 

[b0nkersx]

I have no idea how bright you're going for. I rarely put mine past noon.

Close your eyes and turn the knob until you like it. If 12 oclock isn't bright enough, turn it up. Try turning up the treble, too.

 

[bermuda_]

Bright enough to remove some of that mud coming from the amp, if you now what I mean :lol:

But keep in mind that there is no pedal boosting the amps signal, just to clarify that

 

[mikey383]

I'm beginning to think you just don't like the inherent properties of a Recto.

Try this: Set all your knobs to noon. Close your eyes, listen to what you're playing, and readjust.

 

[94Tremoverb]

I completely agree with mikey.

First, the Rectifier is not *that* high-gain. I know it has a reputation for it, and maybe it was one of the first real high-gain amps (that weren't modded), but there are many other amps with more. Second, it's a very under-damped amp, which is one reason it sounds so powerful, but that can also make it sound flubby and undefined if you don't set it right, especially in the Modern mode. If you still haven't done it *try the Vintage and Raw modes*. The Modern mode has no negative feedback in the power stage and so the low end especially can get out of control - turning down the bass knob will only help up to a point, because it isn't in the same part of the circuit. You will get a tighter sound in the other modes.

If those two modes don't have enough gain, try a solid state boost or distortion pedal in front - no matter what anyone says they are not evil and don't automatically kill your tone, they're just another tool to shape your sound. But you may not need it if you haven't got the gain right up yet - don't be afraid of using the controls over their *full* ranges - you won't do any harm, and you can certainly turn the presence up way beyond 12 o'clock if the amp isn't bright enough yet. 1 or 2 o'clock on the gain is quite low - unlike many amps, the Rectifier still has a long way to go at that point and it even adds quite a lot from 4 to 5 o'clock. The controls are powerful and interactive, and if you haven't explored the full range of what they all do yet, in any combination, you really don't know what the amp is capable of. *Some* (a few) settings do sound like crap, but mostly not. Make sure you try the switches on the back too, the combinations of Bold/Spongy/Tube/Diode all sound quite different, even at low volume. Or even try it with EL34s.

You could also try a graphic EQ pedal either in front of the amp or in the loop. Read the thread about the MXR 10-band EQ... he's using it to smooth the amp out and take *away* the edge and brightness, but you can do the opposite if you want.

If *none* of that works, you need a different amp. That's not wrong. Mark series Boogies did not work for me no matter what I did and how long I spent trying to get them just right... but they sound great when some people use them.

 

[fluff191]

I'm beginning to think you just don't like the inherent properties of a Recto.

+1

Time for a Peavey combo and a Metal Zone! :lol:

 

[bermuda_]

But according to the Mesa Recto manual, it strong advices you not to crank the gain on the amp past 2;15 O'clock, now I have noticed myself that cranking the gain knob a past this setting does in fact give me a lot more gain, but it seems to me that when you do this the tone of the amp starts to degrade.

Also I was just wondering, why do people recommend that you turn the amp up loud in order to get a good sound of it, like say, I decided to turn gain knob on the amp up to 2 o'clock and then turned the volume up louder on the amp, would this introduce more gain saturation to the overall sound of the amp?

 

[b0nkersx]

But according to the Mesa Recto manual, it strong advices you not to crank the gain on the amp past 2;15 O'clock, now I have noticed myself that cranking the gain knob a past this setting does in fact give me a lot more gain, but it seems to me that when you do this the tone of the amp starts to degrade.

Also I was just wondering, why do people recommend that you turn the amp up loud in order to get a good sound of it, like say, I decided to turn gain knob on the amp up to 2 o'clock and then turned the volume up louder on the amp, would this introduce more gain saturation to the overall sound of the amp?

Not until you're half deaf. It's not the kind of gain you want, either. People don't turn up recto styled amps for more gain. 90% of people I know with rectos turn the gain down when they turn the volume up. If you need more gain, get a booster, distortion pedal, or a different amp.

More volume changes how your ears hear things, speaker dynamics, and lets the tubes sweat a little more. Power tubes will break up with a lot of volume, but frankly, too much of that sounds like mud on a recto. That's why turning it up sounds better.

And more gain does not equal better sound. If it did, then everybody would be playing INSAEN LINE 6 DISTROTIOS CHANAL.

 

[bermuda_]

By turning down the gain on the amp with the volume up higher, what type of tone would you achieve from the amp?

Also is that muddy sound I mentioned earlier I get from the amp, coming from the power tubes in the amp?

 

[b0nkersx]

Tighter, more defined/articulate, ballsy.

 

[bermuda_]

Also I was just wondering would swapping my preamp tubes around in the amp, give me a bit more gain?

 

[b0nkersx]

Not a lot.

Seriously dude, if it doesn't have enough gain for you and you don't want to boost it, get another amp. This is the only realistic advice anyone can give you.